Deuterium


Deuterium, also called heavy hydrogen, is a stable isotope of hydrogen with a natural abundance in the oceans of Earth of approximately one atom in 6500 of hydrogen (~154 PPM). Deuterium thus accounts for approximately 0.015% (on a weight basis 0.030%) of all naturally occurring hydrogen (see VSMOW; the abundance changes slightly from one kind of natural water to another). The nucleus of deuterium, called a deuteron, contains one proton and one neutron, whereas the far more common hydrogen nucleus consists only of a proton and no neutrons. The isotope name is formed from the Greek deuteros meaning "2", to denote the two particles comprising the nucleus.